What a Dolphins Draft Trade-Down Might Look Like

GM Chris Grier acknowledged the possibility of making a draft-day move with the Dolphins currently without a third- or fourth-round pick

With the Miami Dolphins heading into the 2024 NFL draft without picks in the third or fourth round, the idea of them trading down certainly does make sense.

But what might that look like? Would that automatically involve the Dolphins’ first-round pick, the 21st overall selection?

Well, judging by the comments of GM Chris Grier during his pre-draft press conference Tuesday, it actually might be Miami’s second-round pick that could be in play if a trade were to materialize — understanding that it takes two teams to make it happen.

 “Yeah, I think we’re open to everything, but also you don’t want to pass on a good player,” Grier said. “If there is someone there that we all feel very strongly about that can really impact our roster, it’s like how far can you drop down and still possibly get him.  You always weigh those factors of, yeah, it’s great to pick up an extra third, but if that second-round player is someone we believe in like a Jevon Holland or Jarvis Landry in the second round, then you’ll take the player.”

Notice that Grier didn’t say anything about possibly trading the first-round pick, even though that obviously would fetch a bigger return than trading away the 55th overall selection.

Beyond that, Grier talked about how excited head coach Mike McDaniel is about the idea of the Dolphins having a first-round pick for the first time since he became head coach in 2022.

 “He has been out of his mind, because now he’s recommending everybody to me,” Grier joked “But it’s been fun. He and I have been watching a lot of players, talking, great communication. So it’s been fun. I think he’s very excited to add a good player, as we all are.”

Grier said there already have been discussions with representatives from other teams about possible trade scenarios, but pointed out most of those deals don’t get finalized until the draft actually has started.

One reason that Grier could be enticed into making a deal involving his first-round pick is that he said his evaluation didn’t produce 21 players with first-round grades.

That doesn’t mean, however, he’s not excited about the kind of player the Dolphins might be able to land.

 “I think we definitely feel there will be one or two players that we really like,” Grier said. “There is where we are right now. We feel that we can get an impact player there that will help our team and roster, and we’d be very excited to add. We’ve gone through it a few times. We’ll keep going through it here. We feel good about who would be there at No. 21 if we were to pick there.”

DOLPHINS MOVES UP AND DOWN THE SECOND ROUND

If the Dolphins indeed wind up moving from their current spot in the second round, it wouldn’t be the first time Grier has done it.

Since he’s become Dolphins GM in 2016, the Dolphins have made three such trades, though two of them involved moving up, not down.

In one of his best draft moves, Grier surrendered a fourth-round pick in 2016 to move up from 42nd to 38th for the opportunity to select cornerback Xavien Howard, who became an All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection.

Another move up in the second round hasn’t worked out so well, the one where he sent a 2022 third-round pick to the New York Giants to move up from 50th to 42nd for the chance to draft Liam Eichenberg.

The one trade down came in 2019 when they moved from 48th to 62nd overall but got a future second-round pick from the New Orleans Saints for their troubles. That second-round pick the Dolphins got in 2019 wound up going to the Arizona Cardinals as part of the trade for quarterback Josh Rosen.